Ch04

106 Part 1 An Overview of Financial Accounting The Mechanics of Financial Accounting CHAPTER 4 KEY POINTS The following key points are emphasized in this chapter: Two criteria necessary for economic events to be reflected in the financial statements. The accounting equation and how it relates to the balance sheet, income statement, statement of shareholders equity, and statement of cash flows. Journal entries (and T-accounts) and how they express the effect of economic events on the basic accounting equation and the financial statements. Why managers need to understand how economic events affect the financial statements. Why the financial statements are adjusted periodically to reflect certain economic events. JWCL006_c04_106-165.qxd 3/18/08 11:40 PM Page 106 TEAM-B 204:JWCL006:ch04: Chapter 4 The Mechanics of Financial Accounting 107 The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) periodically reports to Congress on the performance and accountability of various U.S. government agencies. In its report on the Small Business Administration (SBA), established to help small U.S. businesses, the GAO concluded: The SBA continues to have difficulties producing complete, accurate, and timely financial statements. It incorrectly calculated the accounting losses on loan sales and did not perform key analyses to determine the overall financial impact of the sales. These errors and lack of key analyses also mean that congressional decision- makers are not receiving accurate financial data to make informed decisions about the SBAs budget and appropriations. This quote reflects a problem confronting many large and well-known U.S. com- panies, not just governmental agenciesa lack of high-quality internal control de- signed to ensure that all transactions are recorded in a timely and accurate manner. As discussed in Chapter 1, the SarbanesOxley Act recently placed greater emphasis on the need for internal control as many believe that costly corporate financial frauds are in part due to internal control breakdowns. This chapter covers the mechanics underlying the preparation of financial state- ments and how they help to ensure that a companys transactions are accurately and completely accounted for. After completing it, you should be able to construct finan- cial statements from economic events. Understanding the mechanics underlying the preparation of financial statements is crucial for effective management. Timely and accurate reporting is critical. Also, man- agers often choose among transactions, and such choices should not be made without considering the financial statement effects and the associated economic consequences. Consequently, managers must understand the mechanics that link transactions to the financial statements....
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